Issue - meetings

Councillor D M Sismey, Chairman of the Finance and Corporate Services Committee, put the recommendations as set out in the report.  This proposal was duly seconded.

Councillor Miss M R Lewis advised that she wished to make an amendment to the proposal in the name of Councillor Sismey.  She referred to the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), the work it did, how the Council had agreed to cut its budget in 2019 / 20 by £11,000 and how by increasing Council Tax by 2.99% this would generate an additional £11,000.  Councillor Miss Lewis then proposed that Council Tax be increased by 2.99% and that the additional income generated be used to reverse the decision to reduce the CAB loss of funding.  Speaking about an alternative way to raise £11,000 she made a further proposal that those Members who regularly did not turn up for Committee should have their attendance allowance taken back.  At this point the Chairman ruled that he would deal with one proposal at a time.  Councillor Miss Lewis’s proposal for an increase of 2.99% to Council Tax was duly seconded.

A lengthy debate ensued, during which the enormous work undertaken by the CAB was commented on.  Councillor A S Fluker reminded the Council that the agreement to reduce funding was subject to a review in nine months to review the Service Level Agreement and understand full what the CAB was proposing. 

Councillor M S Heard, having seconded the proposal in the name of Councillor Miss Lewis, referred the cut in funding and how the services of the CAB were needed.  He encouraged other Members to support this proposal.

At this point, Councillor Miss Lewis raised a point of order and clarified a point she had made earlier regarding the number of people who through the help of the CAB had avoided homelessness.

The Chairman reported that he had been advised by the Monitoring Officer that this matter had been dealt with by a resolution of the Council at its last meeting and the Council could not rescind a resolution without up to ten members dealing with it.  The Chairman informed the Council that a vote was required, it could not proceed with the proposed amendment and therefore the Council would be voting on the substantive motion.

In accordance with Procedure Rule No. 13 (5) the Chairman informed the Council that there would need to be a recorded vote on any decision relating to the budget, including the setting of Council Tax and levying a precept.

The Chairman then put recommendations (i) (a) – (e) as set out in the report and proposed by Councillor Sismey and the voting was as follows:

Recommendation (i) (a)

For the recommendation:

Councillors J P F Archer, E L Bamford, Miss A M Beale, B S Beale, R G Boyce,
Mrs P A Channer, R P F Dewick, I E Dobson, M F L Durham, P G L Elliott,
A S Fluker, Mrs B D Harker, B E Harker, M S Heard, M  ...  view the full minutes text for item 865